


Buck Goes To Pride

by amirlywritingfanficnow



Category: 9-1-1
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Athena Grant Being a Mom, Bobby Nash Being a Dad, Caring Eddie Diaz, Coming Out, Henrietta "Hen" Wilson is a good friend, Hurt/Comfort, Mentioned Buckley Parents, Panic Attacks, babys first pride, mentions of biphobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2020-06-09
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:29:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24631585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amirlywritingfanficnow/pseuds/amirlywritingfanficnow
Summary: Thinking back to that cold winter afternoon when Buck broke down in her arms after the shit show that was his coming out, she never thought she'd be helping her brother get ready for Pride. He shut that part of himself away for a long time. But eleven years later, she's handing her brother a box with a pride flag in it, and he's grinning from ear to ear.orBuck goes to his first pride featuring his journey of coming out, lots of hugging, and Hen being the best
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley & Athena Grant, Evan "Buck" Buckley & Bobby Nash, Evan "Buck" Buckley & Henrietta "Hen" Wilson, Evan "Buck" Buckley & Howie "Chimney" Han, Evan "Buck" Buckley & Maddie Buckley, Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 301





	Buck Goes To Pride

**Author's Note:**

> so,,,, this got away from me. grew a mind of it's own! 
> 
> TW; kind of descriptive panic attack, and another not so descriptive one! also mentions biphobia, internalized mainly! 
> 
> please be careful! read the tags! if i missed anything please don't hesitate to to tell me :)  
> enjoy!

Coming out was not something Buck had a good experience with in the past. He'd only ever came out to three people in the fifteen years he knew he was bisexual, all of them named Buckley.

He'd figured it out when he was thirteen and completely struggled with it until he met Ryan. Looking back on it, the relationship had been toxic but Buck had feelings even when Ryan hadn't and the closeted gay football star helped him come to terms with his sexuality, so he really couldn't say it was all negative.

He was seventeen when he'd finally worked up the courage to tell his family. He'd waited until Maddie was able to visit without Doug to sit them down. He'd practiced it a hundred times over in his mirror when he knew he was home alone, which honestly was a common occurrence in the Buckley household. He tried to imagine good reactions, tried not to let his anxiety get the best of him and chicken out. When it came down to it, though, he wishes he had chickened out.

Robert and Lisa Buckley did not react kindly.

He was a sinner, a slut, the f slur is thrown around a lot, and his dad, who was tough on his son and altogether neglectful, laid a hand on him for the first time.

After that, Maddie grabbed his hand and lead him out to her car and just drove. They ended up at a lake in Millersville and got out, completely ignoring the fact that it was a Pennsylvania winter and the two were only wearing sweaters.

It's quiet for a few minutes before Maddie pulls him into her arms and suddenly Buck can't stop crying. Years of pent up emotion just erupts and he's getting himself so worked up he starts to hyperventilate and he can't feel his fingers and suddenly he's on a bench with his head in between his knees, Maddie telling him he needs to breathe and telling him to count.

That was Buck's first panic attack, but it definitely wasn't his last.

He hadn't come out to anyone else after that shit show and he never thought he'd have to ever again. That is until he joins the 118 and befriends Eddie Diaz.

See, when he was Buck 1.0, he hadn't slept with only girls. He'd slept with a few men, he just made sure to never get caught with one so he didn't have to come out. Every time he thought of coming out to the 118, he'd hear his mom telling him that he was just using it as an excuse to be a manwhore.

He knew that's what they'd already thought of him as. Even after he'd been in a stable healthy relationship with Abby, they didn't believe him when he said he wasn't the man who was ghosting women after months of conversation. Hell, Abby hadn't believed him at first.

He could only imagine how much worse it would get if they found out he was bisexual.

And hiding that from them was okay and easy for him. Until Eddie Diaz joined the team, came in and stole his heart.

He hadn't had feelings for a guy since Ryan and it was so different this time around. So much stronger. Intense. Life ruining.

If Eddie ever found out his strong feelings for him, he could lose everything. Christopher, the amazing connection they have, the emotional sounding board he hasn't had since Maddie had left him, again. Even now that she's back, it's hard to trust her and he can go to Eddie for that. He would lose it all.

Then he loses it all when he files the lawsuit. His feelings hadn't ruined anything. He had.

When Eddie forgives him, he tries to make sure nothing will ever ruin them again so he tries to get over him. He's ashamed to admit he gets back into Buck 1.0 for a week, but going back to that makes him feel so low and disgusting that he has his first panic attack in front of Hen.

It's also the first time he comes out to someone other than a Buckley. The first time he comes out to anyone in 11 years.

They're at a bar. It's just Hen, Chimney, and him. Christopher ended up getting sick at school so Eddie couldn't make it and Buck thanked every single one of his lucky stars that he's not there. Not when he's feeling this way.

He knows Hen and Chimney can tell something is going on. He's being way too quiet for something not to be going. He drinks as he listens to their conversation, forcing himself to answer when needed, and it seems to be working out for him well enough.

Until he sees one of his Tinder hookups walk into the bar and his whole body tenses and his heart starts racing, scared the man is going to try to say hi or yell at him for leaving abruptly and he'd have to make up a reason for how he knew him.

He walks passed, avoids eye contact and Buck's body visibly relaxes. When he looks back over, Hen and Chimney are staring at him with their eyebrows raised and his heart rate picks up again. Could they figure him out just from that?

So instead of asking any questions he's not sure he wants answered, he gets up and orders himself two shots of Grey Goose and a beer to take back to the table. When he gets back to the table he tries to be more into the conversation about an awkward rescue they had that day, but his heart really isn't in it so he stops.

He starts to feel dizzy from the four beers and the two shots of vodka he's had, mixed with the lingering anxiety of seeing a recent hook up, so he ignores his friends concerned looks and puts his head in his arms on the table.

Then he's crying. A lot. He's not making any noise but his shoulders are shaking so it's obvious he's crying. He can't hide this from his friends.

"Buck?" Chimney touches his shoulder but Buck shrugs it off and just shakes his head which is still on the table.

Hen sighs. "Alright, Buckaroo, I think it's time we get you home. I'll call Karen."

Buck just nods and lets out a sob.

Karen gets there in record time. Chimney gets in the passenger seat while Hen leads Buck into back before getting in the other side. Buck's too lost in his thoughts to hear Karen ask what happened with him so he also misses Hen tell her that he was probably due for a breakdown.

"I still don't know how to get to Buck's apart-"

"Take him back to ours. I don't think that lonely apartment of his is going to be any help tonight."

That's how Buck ends up in the Wilson's guest room in his boxers and a really comfy hoodie that would be oversized on Hen or Karen so he finds himself wondering if he could steal it. It's got LA Pride printed in the corner and Buck can't help but laugh at the irony. He's always wanted to go to Pride. If his parents hadn't reacted so poorly to his coming out, he probably would have felt comfortable enough to have gone to Philly Pride.

Now he's shamefully hiding in the closet from his new, accepting family in fear they'll become a little less accepting if it's him.

"I remember when Karen and I got that."

Buck startles when he realizes he was caught staring at patch.

"It was Pride 2017, I think? It was the middle of June in LA when it decides to start pouring and you know how easily cold Karen gets, right? So we found a vender that actually made sweatshirts so I bought the only size they had. 3XL. I put it on Karen as we stood underneath a tent and she just looked so comfy and I fell even more in love with her, which I didn't think was possible because, I mean, hey we were already married but it was possible. Then, even though she absolutely hates the rain, she took me by the hand and pulled me out into the rain and kissed me. It seems so cliché and simple but it's my favorite memory when it comes to LA Pride and I've been going since I was a teenager."

Buck's heart warms at the story but he swears his blood freezes in his veins when he picks up on the knowing look on her face.

"That's sweet." He chokes down and starts rubbing his palm up and down his knee nervously. His mind switches into overdrive before he can stop it and he can't thinking that she knows. He hid it for so long and now she knows and he didn't even get to tell her. She hardly put up with Buck's player ways, if she knows he's bisexual she's going to think so much less of him, less than she already had.

The tiny rational part of his brain cuts into his panicked thinking and reminds him that she's a lesbian and she, out of any of his friends, would accept him the way he is and not think of his bisexuality as hyper sexuality.

But like always, irrationality wins and his fingers start tingling and his chest tightens.

"No, no, no!" He hears himself shout but it sounds far away, like he's underwater again, which makes him panic more.

He barely registers Hen's hands on his knees as he tries to recall the many breathing exercises Maddie had taught him when he'd had that first panic attack. Nothing he remembers is working because all he can think about is Eddie and all he can hear is his parents cruel words and all he can feel is the hands of the men and women he hooked up with that week, making him feel dirty and low and valueless. It's too much and his heart feels like it's going to explode any second as he tries to remind himself that it's just a panic attack and he's not dying but it never works.

His immense panic goes on for another five minutes before he can even register Hen is still in the room and is talking to him in a hushed but demanding voice, trying to pull him out from under the water he was drowning in.

Another three minutes go by and Buck can breathe somewhat normally, the feeling in his finger tips are back and he's lucid enough to feel embarrassed when Karen comes in with a glass of water.

He smiles shyly, but gratefully, at Karen before she leaves the two co workers alone.

"I'm sorry." He whispers, head hung in shame.

"You have nothing to be sorry about, Buckaroo. NOTHING." She grabs his hand. "I'm worried about you, though, Buck. Can you please tell me what's going on?"

Like she doesn't already know.

"It's nothing, Hen." If she wants to act like she doesn't know then Buck will take it.

"You just had a pretty severe panic attack, I somehow don't believe it's nothing. You don't have to talk to me about it if you don't want to, but please Buck, talk to someone about it. It's eating you up inside."

He doesn't know if it's because of the alcohol still in his system but he surrenders after a minutes thought and gathers his courage to even look at her.

Then he starts talking and suddenly he can't stop.

"I have a big fat crush on Eddie but he can't know I do or the fact that I'm bisexual because I'll lose him again so I tried to get over him by downloading Tinder and suddenly I'm Buck 1.0 again and I just feel so dirty and valueless and if the team finds out I'm bisexual they're just going to think less of me than they already do and I just really wanna go to Pride."

"Why would they think any less of you?" Her eyes filled up with tears and her voice cracks. "We would all love and accept you for who you are. Being bisexual doesn't make you any less of a person, honey."

"Being bisexual just gives me a higher body count." He feels sick, repeating his mother's words said to him 11 years ago.

Hen picks up on bitterness and wraps a protective arm around his shoulder. "Now what idiot put that in your mind?"

It's quiet for a moment before he finally speaks again. "My parents... but that's not the point here, Hen! That's all they're going to see with my past. I don't even wanna think about what Eddie will think, I mean he's heard the stories. And yeah, Hen, they're accepting of you but what if they see me differently now because I'm a guy who likes other guys? I can't do this again, I can't. They can't know, you can't tell them, please don't tell them."

He's beginning to hyperventilate again so he lets Hen ground him for a second before he listens to what she has to say.

"Your parents are wrong, Evan Buckley. So are you. We are your family, honey, we love and accept you for who you are and that includes your past and who you love. As for Eddie, I don't think the reaction would be bad if he knew you had feelings, but that's just a feeling. I'm not going to tell any of them, that's your choice and I won't take that from you."

Buck doesn't know how to respond and he's two minutes from sleep so he just leans his head onto her shoulder and lets her play with his hair the way Maddie used to whenever he was sad or sick. Takes comfort in the familiarity of it.

He's almost asleep completely on her shoulder when she speaks up.

"As for Pride... LA Pride is in three weeks. Come with Karen and me. If anyone asks at the station, just say you're an ally if you're not there yet. You should be able to experience Pride, even from the closet. I'll be with you the whole day."

Buck lets out a sob. "Thank you."

If he hadn't fallen asleep just after, he probably would have heard her heart break.

Three days later, Maddie stops by when they both have the time and catch up. His nerves hit him for absolutely no reason when he starts to bring up coming out to Hen and going to Pride. Maddie knows. Maddie doesn't think of him any different. It's okay.

"So I came out to Hen." He whispers. "She invited me to Pride, said I can go as an ally if I'm not ready."

Maddie almost drops the bottle of wine she's pouring in shock. "Oh my God, Buck! I'm so proud of you. Are you going to go? Do you want me to come with you?"

Buck's ears burn bright red at the praise. "I've always wanted to go to Pride, Mads. If my coming out wasn't such a shit show that scarred me for life, I probably would have gone to Philly Pride. So yeah, I think I'm gonna go. As an ally, if anyone asks though. And honestly, if you ever go to Pride with me, I want it to be when I'm actually out. You've been there for me since day one in this."

"You're making me cry here, Evan." She sniffles before pulling him into a hug similar to the one she'd given when he first came out, but this time it was more cheerful and for the first time since that day, Buck feels a little less scared about coming out.

That only lasts for an hour. Eddie texts him, asks him if he could stop over, claiming he had something he needed to talk to him about. He hates that his head goes straight to Hen telling Eddie he had feelings for him because he knows she would never do that. Then his mind drifts to his favorite little kid and worries if there's something going on with him. His mind goes over every worst case scenario in his head as Maddie tries to stop an oncoming panic attack because she knows her brother too well. He begged her not to leave until Eddie got there, wouldn't let go of her hand when there's a knock at the door, until he's forced to let go when Maddie goes to answer the door.

"Oh, hey, Maddie. I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"No, not at all. I was just leaving. Date night with Chim." She lies. She grabs her purse and her jacket and kisses her brother on the forehead before whispering, "You're gonna be okay."

When she's gone, he sees Eddie turn to him and watches his face go from relaxed to concerned in a millisecond. Buck knows his face is probably showcasing all of his anxiety in that moment so it's not misplaced. If he's concerned about him and not nervous, nothing bad could be about to happen, right? He hopes he's right. He hopes he hasn't found out Buck's biggest secret, he hopes Christopher is okay, he hopes Eddie is okay. He hopes his secret is okay.

"Are you okay?" They both blurt out at the same time.

"Yeah, I'm okay. You're the one who looks 5 seconds away from a panic attack. Did something happen?" Eddie goes to sit next to Buck and his heart stops and then speeds up just as fast as it stopped.

"I'm not about to have a panic attack." He gulps. "You want a beer?"

"You know I'll always take a beer." He laughs but keeps his eyes trained on Buck's tense body and obviously shaking hands as he's handed his beer.

"So, what did you wanna talk about?" Buck gasps out after he chugs mostly the whole beer in one go.

"Oh, you wanna just get right into it? I thought we could catch up for a second, it's been busy at the firehouse and we both have the day off. But alright, we can talk about what I wanted-"

Buck cuts him off, heart hammering out of his chest. "No, we can catch up. Catching up sounds good. How's Christopher?"

He sees Eddie shake his head. "No, how about we talk about what's going on with you right now, man. You're shaking like a leaf and drank most your beer in one go. Something's going on."

"You mean I don't normally shake like a leaf and drink my beer like my life depends on it?" He laughs but leans his head back against his fridge trying to take in deep breaths. Tries to calm himself down before he can't. "How many god damn panic attacks am I gonna have this week?"

"Buck?"

"Eddie." He lets a shaky breath.

"Yeah, man. Can I touch you?" He didn't even realize Eddie moved around to be in front of him but he nods. Please help, he begs him. "Alright, can you look at me?"

He focuses on Eddie's thumb just over his pulse point for a second before he opens his eyes to find Eddie right in front of him with calm eyes.

"There's those pretty eyes." Pretty eyes? He hopes Eddie doesn't take notice to his ears turning bright red. "Alright, Buck, you can hear me?"

Buck nods.

"Okay, that's good. Now, can you name 5 things you can see right now?"

That's an exercise Maddie taught him as well and he takes the familiarity of the grounding technique as another thing to ground himself with.

"You." His voice cracks.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm here, man. Another thing?" Eddie smiles and Buck brings his hand up to squeeze Eddie's outstretched arm.

"The bike." He gulps. Eddie urges him to keep going. His breathing is still rough and he's getting upset that it's not working when Eddie reminds him he's safe before he urges him again. "The beer. My mail."

"That's good, man. One more thing. You got it. You're okay." Eddie's voice is probably the only thing that's keeping him spiraling into a full blown panic attack.

"Dishes that I have to do." He tries to joke, tries to huff out a laugh but it comes out pathetic.

"Don't worry about it, I'll help you with those later." He reassures with a laugh. "You're doing great, Buck. Can you tame 4 things you can touch for me?"

The thought panics him. "I can't feel my finger tips, man."

Eddie jumps to reassure him before he spirals completely. "Hey, no, it's okay. You're not touching anything. Just name them for me, okay?"

"The beer." He shuts his eyes. "The pillow on my couch. My shoes." He can feel himself being able to breathe just a little better. Eddie's kept him grounded enough to stay lucid the whole time. "You."

He squeezes the arm he's been holding onto and Eddie uses his free hand to squeeze back.

"You're doing great. How are we feeling?" Eddie checks in and Buck wishes he could say he was completely fine but he's still shaking and his breathing isn't all the way there yet so he just shrugs. "That's okay. Can you name three things you can hear for me?"

"My heart." His voice cracks. "My breathing." He's calming down but his knees still seem to getting weak so he tries to warn Eddie and he seems to get the message on time. He steadies Buck as he lowers them both to the ground.

"One more thing, querido. You're okay." Did Eddie just call him darling?

"Your breathing."

"Good, good. Two things you can smell?"

"Your cologne." He sniffs. "I can smell the wine Maddie forgot she spilled." He laughs as his breathing slows.

Eddie laughs. "Good, great. Now, one thing you can taste?"

Buck blinks and smiles up at him, just a little. "I can still taste the beer."

Eddie grins. "Yeah, chugging that'll do it for you. How are you feeling, man?"

Instead of answering directly, Buck's eyes fill up with tears as he falls forward, leaning his head against Eddie's chest and thanks him. He feels safer than he's felt in a while when Eddie wraps his arm around him and soothingly rubs his back with his thumb, using the other hand slightly cradle his head to keep him steady.

"Did you call me darling?" Buck asks as soon he pulls away. He sees Eddie's cheeks tint with pink and Buck can't help the butterflies in his stomach when he looks down.

"You know Spanish." It's not a question.

"I know enough."

Eddie laughs. "You don't mind me calling you that, do you?"

"I think I like Pretty Eyes better." What was Buck doing? Downright flirting with his best friend?

"I like it better, too." Was he flirting back? He couldn't be. "Hey, you don't have to talk about it now but can I ask what triggered that?"

Buck tenses completely. What did trigger that one? Oh, coming out. The thing that triggered every panic attack he'd had that week. Why did he have to be so dumb about this?

"You're not being dumb about it. Coming out is hard, Buck." It doesn't register that Buck actually says his thought out loud until 'coming out' leaves Eddie's lips and suddenly he's filled with panic again.

Buck shoots up from the floor, goes to run up to his loft to somehow escape the situation he just put himself in but he's stopped by a grip on his forearm. He tries to get away but Eddie's grip is strong. "I didn't mean to say that out loud."

"Buck..."

"I'm sorry." He tries again to get away.

"Evan. Listen to me, okay? Whatever you identify as is not a problem with me. Who you are is no different to me. Let's sit down. I wanna tell you what I came over here to talk about in the first place."

He lets Eddie guide him to couch and sets him on couch before sitting on the coffee table in front of him. "Will you please look me in the eye?"

Again, Buck wordlessly follows his direction and looks into Eddie's eyes.

"That's better, Pretty Eyes." He softly smiles and Buck looks down with a smile before looking back up.

"Christopher pointed something out to me and since he has, it's been the only thing on my mind. We were eating breakfast and he looks up at me and says 'Dad, do you love Bucky?' and my obvious answer was, yes I do love Bucky. But I knew how he meant it and I came over tonight to tell you that. Risk it all. I just couldn't get it off of my mind. If you don't feel the same way, I completely understand but... I just had to let you know."

Buck's eyes fill with tears for the hundredth time that day as he puts his hand on the back of Eddie's neck and pulls him closer. "I love you too," and he kisses him.

It's everything he's missing in his life. Eddie's kiss grounds him, eases his fear for the moment, and totally encompasses him with a warmth he's been chasing his whole life.

It's an hour later and they're cuddling in Buck's bed, taking in the sound of each other's breathing and the feeling of being with each other when Buck speaks. "I'm bisexual."

Eddie squeezes him. "I'm proud of you. Me too."

God damnit, why was he so emotional?

"What's wrong, baby?"

"I wanna go to Pride." He gulps.

"There's nothing wrong with wanting to go to Pride. It's in three weeks, I already planned on going. Do you wanna go with me?" Eddie kisses Buck's collar bone and he can't believe how tactile Eddie is in a relationship. It's enough to make his smile come back.

"Hen already invited me when I came out to her a few days ago. Invited me to go as an ally if I wasn't ready to come out because I've wanted to go since I was 15 years old. I was completely okay with going to support Hen and Karen, but you've changed that. I want to go to Pride with you. With you. Hold your hand. Do everything I dreamt of when I thought of going to Pride. But holy shit, man, that means actually coming out to the 118 and that's something I've been avoiding since I've met them, Eds. Coming out has been something I've avoided since I came out to my parents when I was 17 years old and my dad–" He cuts himself off. He didn't wanna put that on Eddie.

"Your dad what?"

Buck sighs. "It doesn't matter. Let's just say it didn't go well. Put the thought it my head that everyone will see my bisexuality as being a manwhore. Which is exactly why I've been avoiding ever coming out to anyone, especially the 118. You guys are my family but you heard the stories. They all saw me as a player, can you imagine what they'd think if they knew I had sex with both men and women?"

"They wouldn't think any different of you than they would think of me. Bobby and Hen already know I'm bisexual and they don't think any less of me. They won't think any less of you, Buck. There's nothing wrong with enjoying your sexuality, first of all. Second of all, we are your family. They've watched you grow. Bobby thinks of you as his son. You'll be okay if you come out, I promise you that. I have your back, Evan. Whenever you're ready."

"Will you be there with me?"

"Of course."

Ten days later, with daily pep talks from his boyfriend, Buck gets the nerve to come out to his family. It's different this time. They're not cold. They don't hit him when he does something a little bit out of line. They've showed them time and time again that they love him. He can do this.

Bobby invites the team and their families over for a Saturday barbecue at the Grant-Nash household. Christopher is there, but Eddie had already told him about his relationship development with Buck's approval, so he's not worried about Christopher. He's worried about Karen, Michael, May, and Harry. Denny, too. He's worried about Athena more than he's worried about anyone, though. Coming out to your pseudo mom and dad after coming out to your biological mom and dad went terrible will give you overwhelming anxiety. He's worried about Chimney.

He's a huge ball of anxiety and everyone can tell. Hen and Maddie look like they sense what he's about to do. Eddie's giving him as much physical comfort as he can while not actually holding his hand or hugging him.

He waits until they're all out in the backyard, talking and laughing before he gets their attention and when they're all staring at him he starts to feel dizzy.

"Uh, okay, hi. I have something I have to announce and it's scary as hell for me to do this so forewarning, I might faint. Or throw up. Preferably neither, probably both-"

"Gross." He hears Chimney from the side.

"You're gross." He argues back, but the comment has him a little less on edge. "Anyway, as I was saying. There's something you guys don't know about me, and that was on purpose, but I need to tell you guys this thing about me because it's holding me back from something I've wanted to do since I was a 15 year old in rural Pennsylvania."

He sees wheels turning in May and Michael's heads, Karen has tears in her eyes and Hen and Maddie wear proud smiles. He can't look at Bobby and Athena yet. He can't.

"So, yeah. No more stalling. Here it goes. Ha." He turns to Eddie with a frantic look in his eyes and takes the comfort in Eddie's smile and turns back to everyone else. "Okay. Now. I'm bisexual."

All of a sudden he's got two sets of arms around him and he can't help but laugh at Chimney and May being the first ones to hug him. He thinks of May as a little sister, teases her as such sometimes, and Chimney is going to be his brother in law so the immediate support makes him tear up.

Karen is next. She pulls him into the warmest hug and whispers that she's proud of him. He kind of suspects she knew, he wasn't exactly quiet that night at the Wilson's when he admitted his big fat crush on Eddie. The support is appreciated, though, and he needs the support.

He knows he has to face Bobby and Athena. He gulps as he turns towards the married couple and is shocked to find tears running down Athena's face and tears in Bobby's eyes. He's about to overthink their reactions when Athena pulls him into a bear hug he always craved from a mother when he did something worth a hug.

"I'm so proud of you, Buckaroo. So proud. I love you so much, you know?" Athena says and that's all it takes for Buck to break. She tightens her hold on Buck when she hears the first sob. Then suddenly he's sandwiched between his pseudo parents, but to him it's so much more. The reaction he'd tried to imagine when he practiced in the mirror at 17 years old, that's what it was.

It takes him a hot minute to calm himself down and when he pulls he away from them, he noticed everyone gave them space and walked to the further end of the yard. He turns back and smiles.

"Thank you."

"No, thank you." Bobby counters.

"Why thank me?"

"For being you, kiddo. You ready to actually go eat now?"

The three happily walk over to everyone else and Hen and Maddie finally get their chance to hug him. It's all bliss for a few minutes before May brings up the part of his announcement that meant more than anything.

"What is it that you've wanted to do since you were 15 and couldn't?"

He looks at Maddie and Eddie for support and permission towards Eddie before looking back at May.

"Go to Pride. I was going to go to Philly Pride but my whole first coming out experience ruined a lot. But this year, I'm finally going. And yes, Hen, I'm going to pride as my true self and-" He looks at Eddie once more before continuing, "I'm going with my boyfriend."

Eddie grins and finally grabs his boyfriend's hand. Feels the comfort there. The happiness. The secureness. Chaos erupts again between everyone this time, because no one knew the two had gotten together.

"You finally went and got your boy, huh, Diaz?" Hen explains.

"Wait, Hen knew about your feelings? For how long?"

"Since his third week here, Buckaroo. I told you if you told him how you felt, he wouldn't react negatively." She smiles softly. "Wait, who told who first?"

"Eddie told me."

Maddie squeals. "Pay up, Henrietta!"

"I don't even know what the bet was but I'm assuming you bet against me, Mads? I'm hurt."

Maddie just grins because this is the most at ease she's seen her brother since he was fifteen.

The smile gets bigger a week and a half later when she arrives at Eddie's to pick them up. Two boxes for the happy couple in hand. Eddie opens the door and he's in the middle of laughing and trying to keep her brother calm.

"What do I even wear to Pride? How do I do this? What's gonna happen there? I waited thirteen years for this, what do I do?"

Maddie walks into her brother's pacing with a grin on her face. Thinking back to that cold winter afternoon when Buck broke down in her arms after the shit show that was his coming out, she never thought she'd be helping her brother get ready for Pride. He shut that part of himself away for a long time. But eleven years later, she's handing her brother a box with a pride flag in it, and he's grinning from ear to ear.

"What is this?"

"Just open it. I got one for Eddie, too." She smiles at Eddie and hands him the other box.

Buck's face lights up like a Christmas tree when he sees the flag. On top of it is Bisexual Pride pins that he can put on whatever shirt he wears. She'd gotten Eddie the same thing and hoped she was okay to do so.

"This is awesome! Thank you, Maddie." Eddie pulls her in for a hug. The two look over at Buck who is already putting the pride pins to decorate his plain white shirt.

An hour later they're walking up the busy streets after parking in a random strip mall, trying to find Hen and Karen. Before they even see the couple, they find Michael with Bobby and Athena and the sight of his pseudo parents has Buck in tears yet again.

"I love your shirts." He grins.

Bobby and Athena are wearing "Free Mom Hugs" and "Free Dad Hugs" t-shirts and he flashes back to sitting in his room, reading articles about the impact those made and crying. Now, Bobby has his arms open and Buck hugs him with all of his strength. He does the same with Athena and is interrupted by the shriek of one Henrietta Wilson.

"Are you ready for your first Pride, Evan Buckley? I don't think you are!"

She pulls him and Eddie along while admiring their matching flags, dragging them to face paint. She gets Buck and Eddie's cheeks with pink, purple and blue before going straight for Buck's air with the glitter.

"I thought you had a lot of energy at work but, dang Henrietta, this is next level!" Eddie teases.

When they're done, they head back to where everyone else stayed and Bobby is giving a kid who looks about fifteen a hug. The kid is crying, saying something to Bobby and all Buck hears next is Bobby calling Buck his son and Buck can't think of a moment he was happier than this.

"Are you crying, again?" Chimney teases as they walk.

"Yeah, Chim, I am. I'm just really fucking happy."

"Awwwwwwwwww."

"And for the first time in my life, I feel accepted. So fuck yeah, I'm crying. Tell him it's justified, babe." He grabs his boyfriend's attention.

"Of course it's justified, honey. Is it everything you dreamed it?" He squeezes his hand.

"Everything I ever dreamed and more."

**Author's Note:**

> i don't usually read fics are bobby and buck are like super father and son type relationship but, this got away from me like i said and it's really cheesy! not beta read! pls kudos and comment!!! i like to hear what you guys think!


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